Ok then - interest check - Marsden for the weekend anyone?

First bank holiday in May Chez Mr and Mrs MM anyone? 2 spare double beds, 1 spare double inflatable mattress, some floor space (involving using floor in spare bedrooms....), sorry no camping - unless you can get pegs into a flagged courtyard.......
Mrs MM has put a limit of 8 on folk staying over, no reason why localish folk can't have a drive over and meet for the rides though...
Outline plan.....
arrivals Friday, we'll some sort of pasta type food to be cooked in the evening.
Ride on Saturday (just MrMM, Mrs is not a big rider...) for info, 3 ways out of the village are up, the benefit being the return ends on a down!! LOTS of opportunities to <cough> stop and admire the views....<cough>
Sat night - several options for eating out in the village, involving real ale The Riverhead ..... and a short train trip and stroll would get us [/url]HERE .....
Sunday - hangover hobble, probably boot folk out after that so we have Monday to recover and tidy up, who knows though, if its going well.....
Other bits, one income family at the mo so it would be a BYO do - or, if you have read the links, bring beer money do :lol:.... and we'd probably take over a local caff / do takeaways from the bakery for the brekkies......
Oh, there's a station in the village so, if you want the train to take the strain... only 2 mins ride from station to our door - be aware though, if arriving from Manchester direction there's a pile of steep steps to lug your kit up...

I'm just the other side of the hill although regularly ride in the area (RHT or TEI the usual mid-ride beer haunts). Must pop over for a ride with you soon. I'm riding in France that weekend but hope you have a good one

my gf's parents live in slaithwaite so, while i won't be turning up and forcing myself on your hospitality, i would be very interested in a simplish rundown of some decent bike routes round that way as her dad is very into his general mountaineering and i'm trying to get him more into biking. sounds like a good weekend!

SFB - i was hoping keep that as 'a secret' for any visitors - knew it would not happen though!!
Sanity assasin - yep, bit of a pain and the wheel size holes (soding 'crossers....) in said bog have had me more than once - still, its a pretty soft landing.....

Grynch - long way to come but we're happy to accept decent cheese donations

Andy P - whereabouts are you 'on the other side' - i'm ex-Diggle ..... do drop me a line ref a ride - so long as you can cope with plenty of 'admiring the view' stops....

Flatboy - os map is your friend, elements of many routes will be 'cheeky' but, on the whole walkers are not to common except for on / around the pennine way bits. Give me a shout some time, won't claim to know the valley like the back of my hand but can show you some great routes out of Marsden - anything from half an hour to a good few hours (basically the bogtrotters route over the hill and back) - all start the same way - UP - and are essentially loops of varying sizes.... mostly adaptable to result in a visit to the pub!!

Andy - we've a wee dram or two in the cellar, would just have to locate the hip flask so yeah, give us a shout about a ride ....
Moving to Diggle eh - you must be loaded
Where are you looking at - my dad's still on Ravenstone Drive - up the hill, opposite the Hanging Gate...
Stupid thought - have you looked over here, far better bang for buck, only a 5 min drive back over the hill and <cough> the Riverhead is close by <cough> !!!

And yes - I know the Packhorse is no secret but still, maybe not everyone had heard.....
(I think STW once named it one of the best bits of ST in the country...?)

Will do
Not sure about being loaded. Just want to stay this side of the hill but somewhere a bit quieter really. And of course to be nearer to the Diggle Hotel and its wonderfully-kept Timmy Taylor's.
Got our eye on a couple up near the school. Just nothing doing at the moment, need someone to buy ours first..
We did consider Marsden, but in terms of jobs/nursery/school/parents it's a lot easier to stay this side. Plus as a Lancastrian I'm not sure I'd be welcomed that side of the border

I just make sure I get over that way lots for mid-ride pie, peas and Black Sheep at the TEI, and coffee and cake at Crumbals

Flatboy - os map is your friend, elements of many routes will be 'cheeky' but, on the whole walkers are not to common except for on / around the pennine way bits. Give me a shout some time, won't claim to know the valley like the back of my hand but can show you some great routes out of Marsden - anything from half an hour to a good few hours (basically the bogtrotters route over the hill and back) - all start the same way - UP - and are essentially loops of varying sizes.... mostly adaptable to result in a visit to the pub!!

that's very kind - i might well twist your arm one day when we're up that way and see if i can get you to guide! out of interest, where would you say is the nearest decent mtb shop round that way to try and get the old chap fixed up? i know stif in leeds, but are there any nearer or better that i can send him to? cheers!

Never used them but they seem like good guys - i popped in to ask about local, easy routes as MrsMM wants to go ride but is fed up of the canal towpath!!

also <GASP>Halfords in Hudds, for the Boardman options??<GASP>

Hora - will keep your details on file as it were and, yes, i'd pondered on the potential for word getting out, I had a cunning plan to try and mitigate such things but, as there's not many (ie just you :roll:) thus far interested in popping over I don't have to worry too much who I might be sharing our details with....

AndyP - I'm Oldham born, Diggle raised and Mrs MM is from Cheshire ....
I had my concerns when I came over here (in my single days) because, as a youth, if we came over for a pint it could get a bit leary... that's all changed, bottom line is it is a really great place, locals are friendly and you'll find a large tranche of ex-pat Lancastrians over here....loads to do with the kids as well - allsorts of stuff being run by the national trust and the likes...
Did I mention the local pub, and eateries and general shops, they even have schools over here as well
When I left Diggle all I wanted to do was move back one day, not now.....
Cheers all
Chris

my sister's aussie fiancé was taken to the riverhead over christmas and did not leave until he had made sure every beer had been sampled. and narrowly avoided falling in the canal on the way back to sla'wit

hp - I arrived here via Mossley.........
Have not done the Pennine X yet - don't count myself as fit enough, should get my but in gear though this year.... if you have done it you've ridden right past the front of our place......
Riverhead - great spot, as is the new in now its picking up a bit, both supposedly wasted on me though as I'm a lager lout..... i do keep asking the R/head to put Silverking through a cooler though, I could go for it like that.....

Now you're on Mossley no excuse (apart from the fare they sting you for the tunnel trip...) for not getting the train into Hudds - 2 real ale pubs on the station and 5 mins walk to the above mentioned Grove.....

right - flatboy and HP - what say we get our acts together and do the PennineX and, possibly the ShredX - think thats the Hade Edge one - I know the Shred is run by the scouts, raising funds.. can't see any links though...

EDIT - ShredX is the same as Pennine X - they must have changed the name...
Will make enquiries about the other one.....

flatboy - mid-summer could become an issue for me as well - wedding photography is what I do..... first year as a full timer though and bookings are well down on what they should be, this means that weekend is currently clear for me but I'd have to take a job if one did come in.....
Chris

Hey I'm in Lindley so could pop over for the Saturday ride, stopped off to admire the view' at the Riverhead a few times meself. I've just followed your link to the Grove - well I never, I've lived in Huddersfield for 7 years and never heard about or come across it. From Google maps it looks to me like its behind the sikh temple, is that about right? Will be heading there for a quiet one this very weekend now! This is why I love STW.

Have been off the bike since New years Eve, but hoping to get fit enough to come on this ride. I'm from Cheshire too, so will have something in common with Mrsmm.
Don't worry, hubby and I won't force ourselves upon you ( but thanks for the offer of hospitality) as we're only 45 minutes away.

headfirst - you (well multimap) is spot on the grove is behind the temple - as you pass the fire station on the ring road (on your left) take the very next left at the lights, as if going to the car parks, Grove is 100 yds up - at the junction where you turn into the carpark - not that anyone wil be driving o'course

Kieron - thanks for the links - are you a local then?

Bunnyhop - ride can be anything from a 'simple' 6 miles - a gentle 3 miles up then WAHEY 3 miles back down Wessenden up to 20+ if we follow the Bogtrotters route over to Hollingworth Lake and back....
as i have not been on the bike in some time the plan at the mo is to do a minimum of about 12 miles - big climb out of the village (with adequate view stops...!) pick up the pennine way, across Blackstone Edge (great views down the valley, some techy riding through rocks where the peat has long gone..) hang a right off the top of the hill and drop the 3 miles of singletrack back down the fabled packhorse trail
Staying over - you wouldn't be forcing yourselves on us if you choose to say over - pack a toothbrush just in case - the local beer is good......